LOS ANGELES, CA- GENA (the newly formed duo of Liv.e and Karriem Riggins) have officially arrived with their debut album The Pleasure Is Yours, out now via Lex Records. And for those of us who’ve been following Riggins’ work for years, this collaboration feels less like a left turn and more like a beautifully timed evolution.
The album lands alongside a new visual for “Douwannabwithastar!”, directed by Mackai Sharp, and follows a string of intimate live appearances including a sold-out debut at London’s ICA, performances during Riggins’ residency at Nublu in New York, and a Detroit Jazz Festival appearance. On release night, the duo celebrates in Los Angeles with a special show at DiDi, marking a moment that feels both fresh and deeply rooted.
I’ve personally been following Karriem Riggins for a long time. Long enough that my parallel life as an entertainment attorney once had me working on projects he helped shape, including Dwele’s Subject and Slum Village’s Dirty District mixtape and Tainted. I bought Headnod Suite and Alone Together when they dropped. I’ve watched him behind the kit alongside musicians operating at the highest levels, players like Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and Esperanza Spalding. When Riggins plays, there’s always an unmistakable sense of pocket and purpose. He doesn’t just keep time… he bends it.
“Douwannabwithastar!” served as my introduction to GENA. From the jump, it pulled me somewhere familiar. There’s a grounded early-2000s neo-soul pulse in its DNA. After that first listen, I let the entire album run. And that’s when it clicked.
The Pleasure Is Yours is a masterclass in rhythmic architecture and vocal instinct. Riggins lays down percussive frameworks that feel loose but intentional, syncopated yet warm. Liv.e floats through those spaces with a jazz-tinted phrasing that feels exploratory rather than performative. The interplay recalls the spirit of Bilal’s First Born Second era…. that sweet spot where soul, hip-hop, and jazz weren’t concerned with categorization, only feel.
What makes The Pleasure Is Yours resonate is its looseness. Much of the album was pieced together virtually, yet it never feels fragmented. Instead, it breathes. The guest musicians, including Isaiah Sharkey and James Francies, add dimension without crowding the core chemistry. The record lives in motion, guided more by instinct than industry trend.
If you’re craving that neo-soul pocket that once defined long summer drives and late-night headphone sessions, this album will likely hit home. It carries that chilled, vibey undercurrent that rewards full-album listening. The title is playful, but it’s also accurate.
The pleasure is, in fact, yours.
Follow Gena: Instagram | TikTok | X (Twitter) | YouTube
Follow Liv.e: Instagram | YouTube
Follow Karriem Riggins: Instagram | X (Twitter) | YouTube
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